It is still impossible to say if and when a decision will be made on whether or not to bring in a third party emergency medical services provider to Floyd, Polk, and Chattooga Counties.

Officials from Floyd Medical Center and Redmond Regional Medical Center have been discussing for months on the feasibility of transferring their EMS services to an outside provider and whether or not such action would save money for both hospitals.

Dan Sweitzer, Vice President of Market Development at Floyd Medical Center says he can’t say for certain when a final decision would be made on whether consolidation would actually come to fruition.

“We have identified some companies that we think might potentially fulfill that role,” said Sweitzer.

“We’ve just started the process of talking to them, so we’re a long ways away from knowing if it is even possible or certainly from making a decision.”

Both EMS services have competed heavily for contracts for EMS service in Polk County and have designated zones in Floyd County. Recently, Redmond took over EMS service in Chattooga County.

It is still unclear how such a change in EMS service would directly impact each county’s service.